The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE, Tagalog: ['sɔdʒi]) Equality Bill,

also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB),[1][2] is a proposed legislation of the Congress of
the Philippines. It is intended to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of
discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.[3] The
current versions of the bill are championed by Kaka Bag-ao, Geraldine Roman, and Tom Villarin in
the House of Representatives, and Risa Hontiveros in the Senate. The version in the House of
Representative passed its third reading most recently on September 20, 2017, but died in the
Senate.[4] It has been refiled for the 18th Congress.

Contents

 1Legislative history
o 1.117th Congress
o 1.218th Congress
 2See also
 3References
 4External links

Legislative history[edit]
The bill was first filed in congress in 2000 by then-senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and then-
Akbayan party-list Representative Etta Rosales, in which the bill passed 3rd reading in the House
but stalled in the Senate. Similar measures were filed by other senators in the 15th and 16th
congresses without success.[5] The bill was re-filed by Defensor-Santiago in every congressional
period in the Senate until her last term in 2016. The counterpart bill in the House was also filed
continuously by the representatives of Akbayan party-list.

17th Congress[edit]
In 2017, House Bill No. 4982, sponsored by Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (the principal author
of the measure since her first term), Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, Akbayan Party-List Rep. Tomas
Villarin, and several others, was not approved on third and final reading for the first time since
2001[6] with 198 members of the House of Representatives voting for the bill and none opposing it, a
historic pro-LGBT move from the House of Representatives.[7]
The counterpart bill in the Senate, filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros (the first Akbayan senator), was
in the period of interpolations by May 2018. It is backed by Senators Loren Legarda, Grace
Poe, Nancy Binay, Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, Chiz Escudero, Ralph Recto, Sonny Angara, JV
Ejercito, Francis Pangilinan, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Leila de Lima, although de Lima is barred from
voting on the bill as she is currently in police custody.[8][9] It was opposed by Senators Tito
Sotto, Manny Pacquiao, Cynthia Villar, and Joel Villanueva (who signed up as a co-author of the
bill).[10] Other senators such as Win Gatchalian, Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes, Panfilo Lacson,
and Richard J. Gordon have not yet expressed their support or rejection of the bill. Senator Trillanes
is currently facing cases that may put him in jail, which may make him ineligible to vote for the bill
like senator De Lima if ever he is arrested. Additionally, Alan Peter Cayetano and Gregorio
Honasan no longer have voting rights on Senate measures as they declined to be part of the
presidential cabinet.[11] All in all, out of the existing 24 Senate seats: 12 seats support and can vote
on the bill; 1 seat supports but cannot vote on the bill (although the number may rise to 2); 4 seats
oppose and can vote on the bill; 5 seats can vote on the bill but have not yet given their positions on
it (although the number may be reduced to 5); and 2 seats are de facto vacated.[11] For a bill to pass
the Senate, it needs a vote of 50% (12) of the body, plus one (1) vote for a total of thirteen (13)
votes. The SOGIE Equality Bill currently is supported by 12 seats that are allowed to vote on the
measure.[12]
The bill is also supported by the Catholic student governments of University of the Philippines-
Diliman (UPD), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University(DLSU)-Manila, De La
Salle - College of St. Benilde (CSB), Far Eastern University (FEU), Miriam College (MC), St.
Scholastica's College (SSC)-Manila and San Beda University (SBU). The longest running LGBT
student organization UP Babaylan has also been supporting the bill ever since it was first filed.,[13] as
well as known celebrities and icons such as Heart Evangelista, Nadine Lustre, Bianca Gonzalez, Iza
Calzado, Charo Santos-Concio, Dingdong Dantes, Joey Mead King, Divine Lee, Karen Davila, Chot
Reyes, Tootsy Angara, BJ Pascual, Samantha Lee, Christine Bersola-Babao, Rajo Laurel, Tim
Yap, Anne Curtis, Mari Jasmine, Laureen Uy, Pia Wurtzbach, Lorenzo Tañada III, Vice
Ganda, Arnold Van Opstal, and Chel Diokno.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
In March 2018, a small group of Christians protested at the Senate against the SOGIE bill by calling
the proposed legislation an 'abomination', adding that homosexuality is allegedly a 'sin' citing that
their 'hate' is allegedly credible because it is supposedly written in the Bible and that viewing that
identifying as part of the LGBT community is a supposedly a 'lifestyle'.[23] The group also claimed that
the bill relates to same-sex marriage, which is not found anywhere within the bill.[24] Senators
Villanueva, Gatchalian, and Villar spoke against same-sex marriage after the protest.[25] In May 2018,
senator Tito Sotto, who opposes the SOGIE bill, became the new Senate President. In an interview,
Sotto was asked on the bill's passage, to which he responded, "Not in this congress."[11]
In July 2018, various high-profile celebrities rallied for the passage of the SOGIE bill. They also
called out senators Sotto, Pacquiao, and Villanueva to end the debates and pass the proposed
legislation.[15] In August 2018, on the height of the bill's postponed debates, various discrimination
events against the Filipino LGBT community surfaced, causing public calling for the passage of the
SOGIE Equality Bill in the Senate.[26][27] Numerous influential personalities, including political allies of
the three senators who oppose the bill, sided with the calls to pass the landmark proposal.[19][26][9]
In January 2019, fake news and chain mails[28] claiming that there are 'satanic'[29] and 'same-sex
marriage' provisions in the SOGIE bill began circulating, a move to dislodge the bill's progress.[30] The
actual bill does not have any satanic nor same-sex marriage provisions.[31]
In May 2019, the SOGIE Equality Bill officially became the longest-running bill under the Senate
interpellation period in Philippine history. Supporters of the bill have remarked that the prolonged
interpellation was intended by the dissenters to block the passage of the historic anti-discrimination
bill.[32] The bill's principal author and sponsor in the Senate, senator Risa Hontiveros, has again
called on her Senate colleagues to formally close the interpellation period, so that the bill can finally
be subject for amendments and voting.[32] In June 2019, with the end of the session of the 17th
Congress, the SOGIE Equality Bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression -- after the lawmakers failed to tackle the bill in this session of the
Senate of the Philippines. The Senate version of the bill was first filed in August 11, 2016. It was
sponsored by Risa Hontiveros in December 14 of the same year. The bill has become one of the
slowest-moving bills in the country’s history. The passed house version of the bill would have
penalised discrimination with a fine of not less than ₱100,000 but not more than ₱500,000, or
imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years or both, depending on the court's
decision. [33][33] however, she said the bill had gained new allies and wider acceptance among policy
makers and the public and that she is confident the bill will pass in the next Congress.[34] The bill was
archived, and the bill must again be refiled in the 18th Congress, starting over the one to three-year
process of enactment again.[32]

18th Congress[edit]
Versions of the SOGIE Equality Bill was again refiled in the 18th Congress by senator Risa
Hontiveros[35], senator Imee Marcos[36], senator Leila de Lima, and senator Kiko Pangilinan,[37] while
another similar bill was filed by senator Sonny Angara.[38] Senators Bong Go[39], Juan Miguel
Zubiri[40], Ralph Recto,[41] and Franklin Drilon[42] have manifested their support for the SOGIE Bill. In
the House of Representatives, various representatives have also filed their versions of the bill,
notably, Sol Aragones of Laguna[43] Geraldine Roman of Bataan,[44] Loren Legarda of Antique[45],
Maria Lourdes Alba of Bukidnon, Jose Belmonte of Quezon city, Bayan Muna representatives
Eufemia Cullamat, Carlos Zarate, and Ferdinand Gaite, Kristine Singson of Ilocos Sur, Bagong
Henerasyon representative Bernadette Dy, Eric Olivarez of Parañaque city, and Francis Abaya of
Cavite.[46] Representatives Sy-Alvarado, De Venecia, Reyes, Taduran, Bordado, Olivarez, and
Violago have also signed as co-author of the bill filed by representative Roman,[47] while Gabriela
Women's Party representative Brosas has signed as co-author of the bill filed by Bayan Muna.[48]
Religious leaders also manifested their support for the SOGIE Bill, such as Koko Alviar of the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente (Aglipayan Church)[49] Sister Mary John Mananzan, OSB, executive director of
the Institute of Women’s Studies of the Catholic St. Scholastica’s College,[50] Bishop Solito Toquiero
of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines,[51] and Pastor Kakay Pamaran of the Union
Theological Seminary.[52] In contrast, representative Eddie Villanueva claimed that the SOGIE Bill is
'imported' and not part of Filipino culture.[53]
Senate president Tito Sotto has again expressed dissent against the bill, adding that the bill "will not
pass" in the Senate as long as he is the Senate president.[54] Senator Joel Villanueva has also
expressed dissent.[55]
Various personalities have again called support for the SOGIE Bill, namely, Anne Curtis[56] Heart
Evangelista, Catriona Gray, Pia Wurtzbach, Judy Taguiwalo [57][58] Iza Calzado, Nadine Lustre, Janine
Gutierrez, BJ Pascual, Mari Jasmine and Samantha Lee.[59] Vice President Leni Robredo also
supports the SOGIE Bill[60], while President Rodrigo Duterte supports "an anti-discrimination law
patterned like the one approved in Davao".[61] The government has stated that they will certify an
anti-discrimination bill as "urgent".[62]

See also